Putting the “AI” in ThAInksgiving

It’s true that AI and machine learning are changing the world, and in a few years, it will be embedded in all of the technology in our lives.

So maybe it makes sense to help folks at home better understand machine learning. After all, without deep knowledge of current tech, autonomous vehicles seem dangerous, Skynet is coming, and the (spoiler warning!) AI-controlled human heat farms of The Matrix are a real possibility.

This stems from a conflation of the very real and exciting concept of machine learning and the very not real concept of “general artificial intelligence,” which is basically as far off today as it was when science fiction writers first explored the idea a hundred years ago.

That said, you may find yourself in a discussion on this topic during the holidays this year, either of your own volition or by accident. And you’ll want to be prepared to argue for AI, against it, or simply inject facts as you moderate the inevitably heated conversation.

But before you dive headlong into argument mode, it’s important that you both know what AI is (which, of course, you do!) and that you know how to explain it.